1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to packaging electrical components for power converters and power magnetics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One approach to packaging electric components in power converters (FIG. 1) includes a housing which both encloses the components and means of heat extraction from the components. The house includes a non-conductive casing 5 and an aluminum heat-sinking base 6. A printed circuit board (PCB) 3 is mounted next to the upper wall 5a of the casing. Conductive pins 7 are attached directly to the PCB 3 and extend up through the wall 5a. Electronic components 9a, 9c are mounted to one or both sides of the PCB3. Larger side components such as the transformer 9c are mounted to the lower side for space reason. Power dissipating devices such as 9b are mounted directly on the base-plate 6 for better heat transfer. The power components 9b are electrically connected to the PCB by leads 12. Some of the power dissipating devices, 9d, are attached to the base plate via a thermally conductive insulator material 8. Structure 1 may be filled with an encapsulant, which acts as a heat spreader and provides mechanical support. In the case when a hard epoxy encapsullant is used a "buffer coating" material is used to protect some of the components.